Motivational Interviewing with Families
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an empirically-supported conversation style that helps people resolve ambivalence about behavior changes. The theoretical model for MI specifies that rather than professionals telling people why they should change, they elicit and reinforce clients’ reasons using reflective listening, open questioning, and summarization. It has been found that the in-session levels clients express motivation to change, ‘change talk,’ predicts change at follow up. Family members can play crucial roles in treatment for addictions and other behavioral health challenges, and therefore learn how to utilize MI to evoke motivations toward change. In this webinar, you will learn how MI can be adapted for use with family members.
Until recently, there has been limited work applying Motivational Interviewing to family-centered care. This workshop will introduce core concepts of using MI with family members. Join Dr. Doug Smith as he shares research and strategies from his new book Motivational Interviewing with Families (2025).
Who Can Register?
This training is designed for any helping professional interested in learning more about Motivational with Families
This workshop is for those new to MI, or intermediate to advanced learners.
After participating in this activity, learners will be able to:
- Explain roles family members may play in treatment for addictions and other behavioral health problems.
- Describe how Motivational Interviewing can be adapted for use with family members.
- Understand the role of change talk in building motivation, and how it is different in the family context.
Join us on March 13th from 1:00-2:00pm ET (12:00pCT/ 11:00aMT/ 10:00aPT/ 5:00pUTC)
Speaker Bio:
Douglas C. Smith, PhD, LCSW, is Professor of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and co-chair of MINT's Professional Development Committee. Dr. Smith is a recipient of the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research. His new book Motivational Interviewing with Families (Guilford Press) was published in June 2025.
Course syllabus: https://d11n7da8rpqbjy.cloudfront.net/u80476/31070220_1769713312436MI_with_Families_webinar_syllabus.pdf?kuid=4922553e-6671-4283-b583-50a86c2d97cb-1767028324&kref=sUBfz5nRkOYf
